AMILIAR epithets bestowed on the great men of history are sometimes misleading as to their general character, though they may be appropriate to particular incidents or aspects. This is notably the case with William of Orange, surnamed the Silent, for his nature was singularly frank and open. A single instance of prudent reserve obtained for him the surname, and his eminent statesmanship in difficult circumstances confirmed it.

This noble prince was the eldest son of William of Nassau and his second wife, Juliana of Stolberg. He was born at the castle of Dillenburg, in Nassau, on the 16th of April, 1533. In childhood he was carefully trained by his pious and discreet mother, and later resided at the court of Brussels, where Mary, Queen of Hungary, ruled as regent of the Netherlands for her brother, the Emperor Charles V. In 1540, when the people of Holland resisted the imposition of heavy taxes, the emperor intervened, and forced on the rebellious burghers a foreigner as stadtholder. This was René of Chalons, Prince of Orange, a town in the south of France. But René fell in battle in 1544, leaving his territories to his younger cousin, William of Nassau, who was henceforth known as William of Orange. This prince, handsome and well trained in martial exercises, attracted the emperor's attention and favor. At the age of twenty-two he received command of the army

on the French frontier, and saw service in the field. When Charles V., in presence of a grand assembly at Brussels, transferred to his son Philip the sovereignty of the Netherlands, he leaned on William's shoulder. Again, when Charles abdicated the empire, the same trusted prince was chosen to carry the imperial insignia to Ferdinand, King of the Romans. William fought in Philip's war with France, and took part in the negotiations for the treaty of Cateau-Cambresis in 1559. He was also sent to France as one of the hostages for the execution of the treaty. While there, the bigoted, profligate and persecuting King Henry II. revealed to him a plot for the massacre of all Protestants in France and the Netherlands. The generous prince, though horrified at the project, prudently concealed his feelings. At a later time, when the incident was revealed, his discretion earned him the surname of "the Silent."

In 1559 Philip appointed Margaret of Parma, who was a natural daughter of Charles V., to be regent of the Netherlands; but the real direction of affairs was in the hands of the Bishop of Arras, now made Archbishop of Mechlin, and afterwards notorious as the Cardinal Granvella. The majority of the people had accepted the Reformation; but Philip, desiring to crush out heresy, established the Inquisition on the Spanish model, which forthwith began its bloody work. The most prominent nobles, Orange, Egmont and Horn, protested against these violent proceedings. In 1561 they appealed to Philip to remove Granvella, and meantime withdrew from the council. It was at this time that William was married to the Lutheran Princess, Anne of Saxony, daughter of the Elector Maurice. The religious persecution went on in total disregard of the rights and liberties of the cities until even the regent Margaret found Granvella's rule intolerable, and he withdrew to Burgundy. The hypocritical Philip wrote friendly letters to Orange and other nobles. Meantime the affairs of the country were abandoned to disorder and corruption. William of Orange sought to obtain the abolition of the edicts in regard to heresy, liberty to convoke the States General, and the suppression of the Council. But Philip of Spain had far different views. When the Council of Trent

promulgated its decrees, Philip determined to enforce them throughout his dominions. The Duchess, afraid of the result, sent Egmont as envoy to Spain, and Orange urged him to tell the king the whole truth about the condition of the Netherlands. But the king so cajoled and flattered Egmont that he neglected his mission. The king sent word that he was grieved at the increase of heresy, but would rather die a thousand deaths than permit a change of religion. The attack on all showing favor for the Reformers was renewed with vehemence, and the Inquisition was fully established. At the meeting of the State Council Orange openly disclaimed responsibility for the consequences, and whispered to his neighbor that the most extraordinary tragedy of the world was about to begin. In 1566 the Netherland nobles, led by Count Brederode, signed a Compromise," which marks the beginning of the rebellion. Orange, Egmont and Horn held aloof from it. The other nobles, in plain dress and without arms, presented their petition to the regent. But Berlaymont, standing beside her, bade her not be afraid of “a pack of beggars" (Gueux). The word was overheard, and the young nobles at a banquet that night adopted it as their party name. The patriots adopted beggars' dress, and wore a medal with Philip's head on one side, and a beggar's sack on the other, with two hands crossed, and the legend "Faithful to the King even to the Sack." Orange and his friends now joined them.

The regent Margaret, becoming alarmed at popular demonstrations, agreed to abolish the Inquisition and to grant liberty of worship wherever the Reformed religion was already established. Then the great nobles undertook to pacify the people, and the Prince of Orange exerted himself in this cause at Antwerp. But the inflexible Philip could not brook such resistance to his measures, and began his tyrannical policy anew. The messengers sent to him on behalf of the nobles were treated kindly, but not permitted to return. He instructed Margaret to decoy and capture the leaders. But, warned in season, the nobles' confederacy was broken up; only Egmont lingered at court. Horn retired to his country house, and Orange withdrew to Dillenburg, after vainly telling Egmont of his danger.

In May, 1567, the Duke of Alva, already notorious for his bigotry and cruelty, was appointed commander of the forces, though Margaret informed the king that the heretics had been subdued. On the approach of the dreaded Alva, thousands of the people sought refuge in foreign lands, but enough remained to satisfy his vindictive blood-thirstiness. One of his first acts was to arrest the Counts Egmont and Horn at a dinner given by the Duke's son. After a brief trial they were led to the scaffold. These noblemen had uniformly resisted the endeavors of the Prince of Orange to induce them to take the field in resistance to the king's tyranny. They now obtained the reward of their scrupulous fidelity to a faithless sovereign. The Prince of Orange had been summoned to trial before Alva came, but declined, on the ground that he was an independent prince. None the less, he was condemned and declared an outlaw.

One engine of Alva's cruelty was a Council of Disturbances, appointed to investigate the tumults throughout the country. In many of these there had been destruction of images and church ornaments, which embittered the zeal of the persecutors. So terrible were the proceedings of this council, at which Alva presided, that it was soon called the "Blood Tribunal." The whole country became a charnel-house. At last the Prince of Orange, filled with indignation at Alva's cruelty and butchery, published, in 1568, a declaration of his reasons for taking up arms against Philip. He sold his plate and jewels to hire troops in Germany, and in the following spring entered the Netherlands to carry on war. By this time the imperious Alva had thrust aside the Regent Margaret, who resigned her place, and was himself made Governor-General of the Netherlands. The Prince of Orange had planned attacks on three points. Two were unsuccessful; but in the third his brother Louis defeated Alva's lieutenant. But the troops were ill-paid, and Louis went into camp at Greningen. Alva, with 15,000 men, marched thither, and completely routed the undisciplined mercenaries, while only seven Spaniards were killed. Then the bloody work of the courts was renewed throughout the country.

The Prince of Orange issued a formal declaration of war

against the Duke of Alva, and summoned the people of the Netherlands to his aid. He crossed the Meuse and entered Brabant, but was unable to bring Alva to an engagement, or to induce any city to receive his own men. After a time Orange, finding the people of Brabant unwilling to rise against the tyrant, disbanded his troops. But later, at the suggestion of Admiral Coligny, he granted letters of marque to seamen against the Spaniards. Then the Sea Beggars inflicted much injury along the coast, and took many rich prizes. But they had no ports which might receive the ships they captured or serve as bases of operation until in 1572 William de la Marck seized Briel, at the mouth of the Meuse. This was the turning point in the struggle. Flushing and other towns soon passed into the hands of the rebels. Alva, who had been exulting in his success, and whose statue, made of captured cannon, had been erected at Antwerp, was soon aroused from his security. He withdrew his troops from Zealand, and in Holland he held only Amsterdam. In 1572 the revolt was so successful that Orange resumed his functions as King's Stadtholder of these provinces. He had now accepted the Protestant faith, and thus won the confidence of the people. He was distinguished by his enlightened advocacy of religious toleration. In July the estates of Holland met at Dort, and, recognizing him as legal ruler, voted money for the prosecution of the war. He had secured from Coligny the promise of help from France. In August he crossed the Meuse with his army, intending to raise the siege of Mons, which his brother Louis had captured and held against a Spanish force. But the terrible massacre of St. Bartholomew, in which Coligny perished, appalled Europe, and destroyed all his hopes. Still, he made an attempt to relieve his brother, but in vain. Mons was surrendered, and Louis with his soldiers was permitted to retire ; but the town which the Spaniards had engaged to protect was given over to massacre and pillage. The war in the southern provinces was ended by this disaster, but it was still waged relentlessly in the north.

In November, 1572, the Duke of Alva departed from the Netherlands. It was his boast that he had caused 18,600 persons to be executed; the number of those destroyed by battle,